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Re: Fire Rated Plan Graphic

Just thinking aloud but I can think of a couple of ideas in regards to your method.
(I assume you are using lines instead of the hatchpattern/ filter trick so you can show them through doors):
1. Put your component in a workset that is off in most views by default so you don’t need to use view filters when you don’t want to see them.
2. Regarding your wall-based array method I think I would create a linebased component instead with the array inside it; even thou it doesn’t delete itself when you delete the wall, you can lock it to your walls, and can draw it wherever you want (ie: you might want it so show fire rating for something that isn’t a wall) : but I can understand the advantage of your way.
or
3. Use line based detail component instead, Group them and copy the group to the relevant views so you only have to update in one place: and combined with design options means you wouldn't select it by mistake. Also – isn’t it a pain having that component through all your walls/ doors etc: Im thinking of the selection/ tagging process where Im sure Revit will try and tag the component instead of the wall/door etc!

Just some ideas. I actually think I would go with item 3. for the purity of it (ie: they are "symbolic" lines)

Re: Fire Rated Plan Graphic

Before I go on a mini-rant, your wall based family sounds like a great solution. Yes it is overkill but hey, whatchagonnado?

I have a couple of thoughts on color life-safety plans. For QA purposes as described here they are fantastic. Both on screen and printed 1/2 size or to 11x17 xerox it makes problems immediately apparent. If you use a decent reprographics company you should be able to get them to insert the life safety plans as color into your overall b/w set of plans. This would be a very cost effective solution when submitting your sets for permit. However, when it comes to large-scale reproduction for distribution things are quite different. At that point color printing is NOT cost effective.

Here's a hypothetical: A project goes out to bid. It was set up for a color life safety plan that works fine when printed in color. Once that set goes into distribution, all copies will go out as b/w or gray scale. At that point contractors would have an extremely difficult time figuring out which gray color goes with which wall type. Was this light gray a smoke wall? Or was that supposed to be 1-hour? This could lead to confusion, mistakes, delays, and possibly even litigation. Obviously some additional method must be used to ensure clarity such as a wall types plan with numbered callouts.

Dimitri has a point about how we distribute information to our team. Engineers should be checking the model for rated walls, not the last set of prints or PDFs. But let's be honest. There are a lot of folks out there who don't really have the handle on Revit that they say/think they do. Additionally, coordination among a project team is difficult enough without requiring additional QA steps along the way. If the mechanical engineer is set in his ways and wants to see a marked up PDF with all of the rated walls on it then he probably won't acclimate well to searching through a Revit model for what was once so "easily" available. I'm not saying I support this way of thinking, but different strokes...

When it comes down to it, a linework-type graphical description is the best way to identify a rated wall assembly on plan. The best solution would be if a graphic could somehow be tied to a wall type *ahem* wishlist..... Lacking that functionality i believe that the next best solution is to have a colored plan for QA/QC purposes (since that DOES link to the wall types) and to use some other kind of graphic tool such as detail lines or a custom family to describe the ratings on the printed sheets.

Re: Fire Rated Plan Graphic

We've just been using drafting fill patterns for the core layer's cut graphic for several years now, patterns that I found here on AUGI. It's a series of extremely close-spaced lines in various configurations so that it looks like different numbers of dashes and spaces on the plan. Been working fine for us, haven't had any issues really. The fill patterns are set to Align With Element so they always look correct no matter what angle the wall is. Shows up in sections, too, if you wish.

Re: Fire Rated Plan Graphic

The other nice thing about this modeled family is that it comes through to linked files so consultants can see it. The only place it doesn't show up is if you do a plan detail instead of a callout that is a floor plan but that doesn't seem like a big deal.

Here's where it's a little cumbersome-One end of it has the arrow at the very end of the element and the other end the arrow is inset one segment from the end. Maybe someone has a better solution for my formula/array. Also, not any length of it can include a partial segment so certain lengths of walls may contain gaps at the end or the line will have to extend past the length of the wall. I guess I could add some sort of patch but that could be messy.

I've attached the family. Insert it into a project file and host it onto a wall, set it's height to the same height as your cut plane and drag it to a length and play around with it. I think the other thing you might need to do is set it's material to poche or cut and surface pattern to solid fill gray.

Re: Fire Rated Plan Graphic

Originally Posted by patricks

We've just been using drafting fill patterns for the core layer's cut graphic for several years now, patterns that I found here on AUGI. It's a series of extremely close-spaced lines in various configurations so that it looks like different numbers of dashes and spaces on the plan. Been working fine for us, haven't had any issues really. The fill patterns are set to Align With Element so they always look correct no matter what angle the wall is. Shows up in sections, too, if you wish.

Okay well this is actually pretty cool. I like this plan better. I printed my arrayed family next to this simple drafted pattern and it looks just as nice if not better. Problem solved! Autodesk should just build this in as an option rather than having to scour around on the interwebs for it.

Edited Post: On second thought...This is really not going to work for us...We use a lot of CMU walls shown with the masonry cut pattern. Boo Hoo. Oh well.

Last edited by kmarquis; 2012-05-08 at 01:34 PM.
Reason: On second thought....